Crap Hides

Ok so what's the deal with the lack of good hides/cage decor available. The hides available really are too open and the decor usually has little crevices in them that a reptile could crawl up into and potentially get stuck. Anyone else notice these things or have ideas?

Most of the hides you see in retail shops are intended to appeal to many different species and many different people - that doesn't make them bad. For BPs, you don't need a better mousetrap, you just need one that works. Reptile Basics hides are good options. So are plastic bowls turned upside down with a notch cut in the rim. While neither are necessarily aesthetically pleasing, they both get the job done.

I got a four pack of plastic bowls from my local dollar store that were perfect and cut notches in the rims. Four hides, one dollar. Can't beat that!

I thought this thread was going to be about something totally different haha, my first thought was hmmmm interesting choice of material for diy hides.

Anyway, I like the black hides from Reptile Basics :-)

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

Most of the hides you see in retail shops are intended to appeal to many different species and many different people - that doesn't make them bad. For BPs, you don't need a better mousetrap, you just need one that works. Reptile Basics hides are good options. So are plastic bowls turned upside down with a notch cut in the rim. While neither are necessarily aesthetically pleasing, they both get the job done.

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I understand that, just kind of stinks I can really only use cuts of cork bark at this point. There are some really nice decor items from the National Geographic line they just have those little crevices that it would really stink to get a small snake out of (I feed in a separate enclosure). I'm thinking of maybe filling them with aquarium sealant or something.

When I used decor I used to stuff those crevasses and holes with paper towel. It did work but after a bout with mites I had to throw all of these items away. Plus the mites LOVE to hide in the stuffed paper towel. I moved to snake racks soon after and do not use hides unless I have a snake with feeding issues (which none do at the moment). The PVC hides work great but if you want a really cool DIY hide, get a box and bury it under some substrate. You create a little burrow and a small landscape hill and it looks really cool. No one would know any different. It sucks having to dig out the snake every time you want to hold him though, then put it back together. Snakes will still use hides with large entrances if you use deep substrate and make a dip so the snake can nestle into. Just be creative and try it for a week. Keep the receipts and if your snake wont use it, take it back and try a different one.

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Originally Posted by lunasjy

When I used decor I used to stuff those crevasses and holes with paper towel. It did work but after a bout with mites I had to throw all of these items away. Plus the mites LOVE to hide in the stuffed paper towel. I moved to snake racks soon after and do not use hides unless I have a snake with feeding issues (which none do at the moment). The PVC hides work great but if you want a really cool DIY hide, get a box and bury it under some substrate. You create a little burrow and a small landscape hill and it looks really cool. No one would know any different. It sucks having to dig out the snake every time you want to hold him though, then put it back together. Snakes will still use hides with large entrances if you use deep substrate and make a dip so the snake can nestle into. Just be creative and try it for a week. Keep the receipts and if your snake wont use it, take it back and try a different one.

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I freeze everything I buy from pet stores just in case there maybe parasites on it, esp wood products.

I use the Reptile Basics for both my BP and sunglow boa.

Exo Terra has a nice range of sizes for their 'natural' looking hides. Easy to clean and look good in enclosure.

http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/reptile_cave.php

+1 to exoterra I use a lot of their hides. The large is also low which I like a lot. Makes the snakes feel more cozy.

Personally I am not a big fan of ports hides like wood. I do like the exoterra ones, I also have some vacuformed plastic ones. Some of the CC hides are good too. Every now and again I am looking for something that just isn't out there so I either modify a commercial hide or build my own.

Most of the time building your own hides is going to be your best best if you want something both aesthetically pleasing and functional. It seems most of what chain pet stores carry wasn't designed for anything bigger than a bearded dragon in mind, so finding caging or decor for anything bigger has always been a hassle. Check out the DIY section of the forums here, there are some cool custom hides and complete guided processes on how to make them.

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Originally Posted by Jhill001

I freeze everything I buy from pet stores just in case there maybe parasites on it, esp wood products.

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That is a good idea but I did not get mites from the products. I bought a boa who came with mites. Luckily we caught it quickly enough. The only thing I buy from pet stores is those hollowed halved logs I use to help my snakes shed. Maybe I should start freezing them? Thanks for the idea.

I have two small folgers coffee cans I use for hides. (The plastic red ones) we cut notches in the rim and they've worked perfect so far. Once our bp gets we'll bump up the hide size.

I use foam meat trays. You can get a bunch for free off of genpak.com. I use them to allow my snakes to et as much hot spot as possible because of the square shape. Not anywhere as good as a plastic bowl hide but it works


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I get all mine from the local countryside , we also have a local tree lopping company nearby and their dumping ground is like a treasure trove .. parts of hollowed out tree stumps and large pieces of bark make great and free hides . The bark stripped off old trees will curl up and soon as you dry it out .

I was thinking more about the natural hides but I like the idea of cutting a hole in one of the reptile basics hides and burying it.

I don't like hides with lots of grooves because if my snakes poo and it gets on the hide I want to be able to wash it off easily


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Originally Posted by Citrus

I don't like hides with lots of grooves because if my snakes poo and it gets on the hide I want to be able to wash it off easily


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The bark ones are easily washed with running water and / or a nail brush .

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

The bark ones are easily washed with running water and / or a nail brush .

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Yeah but with something smooth you don't even need a brush. I feel like the bark would be absorbing and soak up bacteria from poo.


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Originally Posted by Citrus

Yeah but with something smooth you don't even need a brush. I feel like the bark would be absorbing and soak up bacteria from poo.


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It's all about preference I guess.
These woodland sourced hides look amazing and helps with shedding as they rub over them. I give mine regular cleans with brush and water ( hose pipe if required ) and swill in a diluted F10 solution which kills pretty much everything apparently ..

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

It's all about preference I guess.
These woodland sourced hides look amazing and helps with shedding as they rub over them. I give mine regular cleans with brush and water ( hose pipe if required ) and swill in a diluted F10 solution which kills pretty much everything apparently ..

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Well I can't lie that I love vivariums/terrariums and have been thinking about having a display tank for one snake; a wood hide would definitely help make it look awesome


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Originally Posted by Citrus

Well I can't lie that I love vivariums/terrariums and have been thinking about having a display tank for one snake; a wood hide would definitely help make it look awesome


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I'll take a picture of my setup for my Baird's Rat Snakes. Natural looking terrariums are just more fun for me. I don't have a large collection so cleaning isn't that big of a deal at all.

I'm using exoterra caves right now, but I have thought about finding some curved bark or something and using that.


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Originally Posted by gameonpython

I'm using exoterra caves right now, but I have thought about finding some curved bark or something and using that.


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I can't praise the woodland bark highly enough .
It always looks great and the rough textures aid the shedding process as well . As I said I'm always looking for big pieces or strips of bark especially of dead trees as they curl up wonderfully when they are dried out .

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Examples of hides that I make, can be found here

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Originally Posted by andyroof1979

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?i...id=52&__tn__=C

Examples of hides that I make, can be found here

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Really cool stuff! Best of luck on the first clutch well :-)

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Originally Posted by andyroof1979

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?i...id=52&__tn__=C

Examples of hides that I make, can be found here

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Wow these are really cool.